Anay Agarwal's Blog, page 2

Author 2.0 - a writer, marketer and an entrepreneur

A successful author today is a hybrid of a writer, marketer, and an entrepreneur. Today’s writing is not only about a good product (book in this case), but is more about visibility and marketing of the book. If we compare it with our film industry actors are increasingly getting involved in the promotions of their latest movies. In fact, nowadays promotions are not only being done by actors, but even directors and producers who have quite a following themselves. Case in point are Rohit Shetty and Anurag Kashyap who are celebrities in their own right and make appearances on various talk-shows to promote their movies. 

 

The question then arises that if actors, directors, producers are doing it for their films, why should an author be limited to his cocoon and leave all marketing to publishers. Traditionally, when you think of authors you immediately picture a man with disheveled clothes, overflowing beard and unkempt look. Authors were those people who wanted to live a hermit’s life and contributed to the society only with their writings. There were few who interacted with fans on mails, but they were scared to put their faces in public, happy to go on with their anonymous lives. Some authors used to hide behind pen names to ensure a cloak of anonymity, but no more.

Welcome to new age author or Author 2.0 as I call it. Today’s authors are increasingly becoming the face of their books, and in a brand in themselves. I doubt if readers today will recognize the picture of a Vikram Seth or V S Naipaul. But ask them about Chetan Bhagat or Amish Tripathi or Ashwin Sanghi. These authors especially Chetan Bhagat has grown beyond his books and are a brand in himself. There pictures are splattered not only behind their books but all over their place.

Any aspiring author should learn from these guys who have paved the path before us. They have successfully built a brand image which is clearly beyond their books. If you look at Chetan Bhagat – he has grown beyond books and dabbles from judging dance reality shows (cashing in on as love expert > as he wrote novels which had romantic elements) to politics. His columns in newspaper are clearly political and he writes (and tweets) about current political issues.  It won’t be long before he launches himself into a full time politician role. Take Preeti Shenoy – she not only writes books but also, promotes her paintings and quilled works.

Authors building their own brand growing beyond their books is not a fad rather it is an established trend which all budding authors should work on. Authors should not come to social media and internet just for selling their books but to build a brand around themselves. This will help in gaining fans who are traditionally nonreaders but are interested in topics you have opinion on. So the next time you tweet, think more broadly and not focus on just selling your books.

Do you subscribe to the view that today’s authors are not just writers but marketers and entrepreneurs? Or you believe that authors should stick to what they are best in – writing? Please leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

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10 interesting stats on self-publishing industry

Self-publishing industry though still in nascent stages in India is gaining popularity world-wide especially US. It has grown from a niche segment to almost an industry in itself. It has now changed the way publishers treat authors and even how they market their books.

The single major reason for this has been the rising popularity of eBooks. Publishing an eBook is as easy as posting a blog, and as costly as again posting a blog. So, an author can easily publish an eBook for zero direct costs. He will have to market the book himself (or hire someone) and thus indirectly incur costs. Anyway back to facts on self-publishing which might blow you away.

 

Nearly every third book sold on Amazon Kindle store is self-published. Amazon remains the largest market for eBooks by a large margin, hence can be taken as an industry benchmark.
As a corollary Indie authors are earning 40 cents out of every dollar earner for e-Book.
Self-published books is having significant market share in all genres not just Fantasy/ Paranormal.
Every fourth book on Top lists is by an indie author.
Non-fiction books command higher prices than fiction books.
Longer books sell more. In fact, bestselling books tend to be over 100,000 words.
Series sell better than single books if you are an indie author. Simply because after the first book you learn how to market your book. Series also establishes that you are not a one book wonder.
Self-published books are increasing at an exponential pace – high double digits.
The percentage of women authors who are self-publishing is significantly higher than in traditional publishing.
Global nature of eBooks – your books could be sold over the globe with a single click of a button. (Even my book The Crooked Road was read in four different continents Asia, Europe, Australia and North America)

These are based on the data available from Amazon and other internet sources. What are your thoughts? Any other interesting stats you have come across regarding the self-publishing industry. Share it in the comments below and I will add it in the post.

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Self-publishing in India

I self-published my first book, The Crooked Road, in India a couple of months ago. By that virtue I have some authority to speak on the subject. I am not going to list the pros and cons of self vs traditional publishing – that is for you to figure out. Instead I will give you points to ponder before you embark on the journey. (Please note this is primarily concerning the eBook business but applies mostly to paperback as well)

There are millions of books self-published every month. Yes, it is true. With the ease of self-publishing nowadays, all walls have fallen and anyone with a laptop and internet connection can self-publish. What that means for you – You are just one of the million books which are published by indie authors worldwide.
As a corollary, most of these books are of different levels of maturity both in terms of writing as well as their content. Some of the books are downright rotten (in my opinion ;) )
EBook market in India is very nascent. Many readers do not understand why they should pay for an eBook as it is not a real thing - they cannot hold it in their hand. People think eBooks should be free because there is no printing costs involved.
Most readers prefer the paper version in India. They will talk about the thrill of opening a new book and smelling the papers. Scores of people have asked me if I would come with the paper back for The Crooked Road. Many of them were not amused when I said no. Many people are outraged to know that one can publish only an eBook and not the paperback.
If you self-publish you are only one who knows about it – meaning you are the marketing manager, promoter, publisher all rolled into one. No one else has an iota of interest in making the book successful other than yours. If you think Amazon/ any other publisher will work for you please be advised that there are a million other options, most of which are selling more than your book.
Marketing is hard especially for a first time author, who does not have a clue of the publishing industry. Since, the books are flooding the market, the readers are flooded with choices. Standing out from the crowd proves to be a difficult thing.
Most of the bloggers are flooded with requests to review eBooks. Mostly because it costs nothing to write an email and attach a copy of your latest book. Many bloggers have a policy to not review a book which is published only as an eBook. You will have a difficult time finding bloggers who will review your book on their blog – especially if you are a new author.
Most of the advice on self-publishing on internet concerns with books with international appeal. If your book is India-centric/ you use Hinglish in the book means very well that you will not sell well outside India. That means virtually all the advice on the internet to promote your book on Amazon is useless to you.
The section of readers in India which reads eBooks follows the genres which are in vogue in US. You will come to know of genres like Urban Fantasy, Paranormal science fiction, and most importantly Romance are the bestselling ones.
Readership picks up slowly, it takes time and lot of effort for a good book to be discovered. Serious readers always have a to-read list, your book will be one of the many books to be read. They may take their time, but be sure that if the product is good and they continuously hear good things about it, they will definitely read it. And if they like it, they will promote it as their own – this is how books used to sell traditionally.

This post is not meant to discourage any of the budding authors out there, but rather some thoughts which you should keep in mind before taking the leap of faith. Of course there are huge benefits of self-publishing, how one should choose the platform to publish, and most importantly how one should market their book in India, but those are for some other time.

What do you think about the self-publishing in India? Are you comfortable reading eBooks or prefer the paperback version. Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

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10 Must Read Books for every entrepreneur

Each and every journey of an entrepreneur is different, but it does not mean that one cannot learn from others. There are numerous books from which you can learn (and unlearn)

Please note, I personally am not a big fan of Self-help books, so cannot really comment on those but here are a few books which will help you, were you to join the startup bandwagon:

The Psychology of Selling: 10 Keys To Success In Selling by Brian Tracy - in a startup or pretty much everywhere, sales is the MOST important function. If you are not selling you are probably going under soon
Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman – In a startup you will take multitude of decisions which will affect your future. Read this excellent book to guide your decision making process.
The $100 Startup: Fire your Boss, Do what you Love and Work Better to Live More, by Chris Gillebeau– For those days when you are feeling low due to lack of funds
The Lean Startup: A Complete Summary for Busy People by Eric Ries – I am including this only as it has equal number of fans and haters
Zero to One: Note on Start Ups, or How to Build the Future by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters – combines entrepreneurism with innovation, which I believe is essential to achieve success.
ZAG: The #1 Strategy of High-Performance Brands by Marty Neumeier – how to differentiate yourself from the crowd by building an everlasting brand.
Business Model Generation by Alexander Osterwalder – visuals are a great way to start on the path you are trying to achieve. This book will lead you on that path.
ReWork: Change the Way You Work Forever by Jason Fried – how to cut out the noise in the background and concentrate on what you do best.
Business Maharajas, by Gita Piramal – For some inspiring Indian business house stories (little dated as this came back in 90s but still inspiring and close to heart)

Bonus: The Crooked Road: A journey of a lifetime

This book is not your usual college romance books but provides a unique insight into the struggles in the life in corporate world and his struggles with entrepreneurship. This will prepare you for your life ahead.

Copied from an Amazon review:

Every college graduate pondering to be an entrepreneur must read this book. Anay Agarwal has brilliantly juxtaposed the various emotions of a young graduate, Sahil, trying to survive and prosper in this world. The story realistically depicts metamorphosis of Sahil from a graduate thrown into corporate world to someone who tries his hand at entrepreneurship. (Does he succeed? I don’t wish to be a spoiler for those who intend to read!).The novel derives its power from its even paced story telling. The characters are simple yet extremely realistic. And yes it is indeed an eye opener for all those who wish to be an entrepreneur!

Participate in the online quiz at anayagarwal.com/contest and get a chance to win a cool T-Shirt.

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Entrepreneurship – Should I Start on my own

 

The newspapers are filled with success stories of people who are receiving absurd amount of money from Angel Investors, Venture Capitalist, Banks and HNI’s. Reading these news items makes one feel as if we are not doing anything with our life or rather we are missing out on huge opportunities. The world is changing fast and the Gen Z is redefining everything – right from how we order our groceries to asking the plumber to come to our house. Keep in mind that the focus now is on sectors which were till now unorganized and none of the big names wanted to put their hand in the mud.

But, But, But, before you join the startup bandwagon you need to consider a few things I have learned from my experience as well as those who have taken the leap:

This journey is a hard, long and painful one. As in the Crooked Road, Sahil takes about a year to reach the deal of his life, but that one year was full of empty pockets, lunch at road side tea stall, and what not. Also, remember that The Crooked Road is a work of fiction and each journey is unique. You may take more than one year to reach there, and more importantly may still not get the deal of your life.



The journey is lonely. As Sahil discovered, even your best friends are reluctant to help you, not because they are bad people, but because they have other things on their priority list. You as an entrepreneur will have only one thing on your list to make money or achieve sales, your friends on the other hand have to worry about what they want to eat for dinner, how to deal with a cheating boyfriend/ girlfriend, marriage proposals and even playing with their dogs.



You need to be REALLY thick-skinned. Sahil gets rejected by so many people before he even gets a chance to display his website. Rejection usually hurts, it hurts even more when you have belief in yourself and your product. People will have ulterior motives, different priorities or may simply be disinterested in you and your product/ service. You have to keep your chin-up in the face of adversaries. 



Sales are difficult if not impossible. You may be convinced that your product/ service is the best in the world and people might even agree with you. But to get money out of someone else’s pocket is a whole different ballgame. In my opinion Sahil had it easy with the sponsorship he got. Imagine had he not got that sponsorship, how would he have survived for so long.



You need to be self-motivated, big time. There is no motivation to get up and go to work and as there is no monthly salary credit. You need to ensure that you have the disciple of working the requisite hours. No manager will tell you to complete a task on time, you are your own manager. You will have to get that urge within you to shrug off that complacency and get the work done. Also, there will be no one to guide you, one thing you will miss dearly.



You will be short of cash, for a long time – a really long time. Whatever little you will earn, you would reinvest in the business - marketing promotions, new products, business development, and what not. Say goodbye to those fancy restaurants, foreign holidays that your friend so regularly update on their Instagram and Facebook page.



You will be emotionally hurt. Entrepreneurship hurts your relationship. While you are nurturing your startup you tend to ignore your near and dear ones. You are busy updating your product, making your next sale all the while ignoring your support system.



You will hear snide remarks – you are a loser and a failure. This one will be the hardest in my opinion. You will start to self-doubt yourself. Like Sahil’s parents – you will be hounded by queries which question your ability. You will be constantly asked about the money you make – and some good souls would even offer you monetary help (the worst thing to happen to you).

Are you up for the challenge? Have you taken the leap of faith and joined the bandwagon? Share your experiences in the comments below.

To read more about Sahil's journey click here.

Please share this blog with others on FB and Twitter using the two buttons below.

Entrepreneurship – Starting on your own

 

The newspapers are filled with success stories of people who are receiving absurd amount of money from Angel Investors, Venture Capitalist, Banks and HNI’s. Reading these news items makes one feel as if we are not doing anything with our life or rather we are missing out on huge opportunities. The world is changing fast and the Gen Z is redefining everything – right from how we order our groceries to asking the plumber to come to our house. Keep in mind that the focus now is on sectors which were till now unorganized and none of the big names wanted to put their hand in the mud.

But, But, But, before you join the startup bandwagon you need to consider a few things I have learned from my experience as well as those who have taken the leap:

This journey is a hard, long and painful one. As in the Crooked Road, Sahil takes about a year to reach the deal of his life, but that one year was full of empty pockets, lunch at road side tea stall, and what not. Also, remember that The Crooked Road is a work of fiction and each journey is unique. You may take more than one year to reach there, and more importantly may still not get the deal of your life.



The journey is lonely. As Sahil discovered, even your best friends are reluctant to help you, not because they are bad people, but because they have other things on their priority list. You as an entrepreneur will have only one thing on your list to make money or achieve sales, your friends on the other hand have to worry about what they want to eat for dinner, how to deal with a cheating boyfriend/ girlfriend, marriage proposals and even playing with their dogs.



You need to be REALLY thick-skinned. Sahil gets rejected by so many people before he even gets a chance to display his website. Rejection usually hurts, it hurts even more when you have belief in yourself and your product. People will have ulterior motives, different priorities or may simply be disinterested in you and your product/ service. You have to keep your chin-up in the face of adversaries. 



Sales are difficult if not impossible. You may be convinced that your product/ service is the best in the world and people might even agree with you. But to get money out of someone else’s pocket is a whole different ballgame. In my opinion Sahil had it easy with the sponsorship he got. Imagine had he not got that sponsorship, how would he have survived for so long.



You need to be self-motivated, big time. There is no motivation to get up and go to work and as there is no monthly salary credit. You need to ensure that you have the disciple of working the requisite hours. No manager will tell you to complete a task on time, you are your own manager. You will have to get that urge within you to shrug off that complacency and get the work done. Also, there will be no one to guide you, one thing you will miss dearly.



You will be short of cash, for a long time – a really long time. Whatever little you will earn, you would reinvest in the business - marketing promotions, new products, business development, and what not. Say goodbye to those fancy restaurants, foreign holidays that your friend so regularly update on their Instagram and Facebook page.



You will be emotionally hurt. Entrepreneurship hurts your relationship. While you are nurturing your startup you tend to ignore your near and dear ones. You are busy updating your product, making your next sale all the while ignoring your support system.



You will hear snide remarks – you are a loser and a failure. This one will be the hardest in my opinion. You will start to self-doubt yourself. Like Sahil’s parents – you will be hounded by queries which question your ability. You will be constantly asked about the money you make – and some good souls would even offer you monetary help (the worst thing to happen to you).

Are you up for the challenge? Have you taken the leap of faith and joined the bandwagon? Share your experiences in the comments below.

To read more about Sahil's journey click here.